Greyhound bus engine fire causes stir on I-40

Traffic on Interstate 40 eastbound slowed in central Amarillo around noon Saturday after a Greyhound bus bound for St. Louis experienced an engine fire.

A passenger headed to Tulsa, Laurie Peterson, 52, of Long Beach, Calif., said the bus had just left the Amarillo terminal when motorists on I-40 began flagging down the driver of the bus by honking and waving their arms out the windows. The Greyhound driver pulled over on the highway and evacuated the passengers, she said.

Police said the motorist that flagged down the bus saw smoke inside the bus and began waving down the driver around 11:45 a.m. but firefighters had the blaze under control around 12:15 p.m.

Police said the fire appears to be an accidental engine fire and are calling the bus a total loss.

Two passengers with minor injuries were transported to the hospital for evaluation, but the injuries were not related to the fire itself, but were related to the passangers exiting the bus, police said.

Police have transferred the remaining 41 passengers aboard to another Greyhound bus and are in the process of indentifying and interviewing all passengers.

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